3.03.2008

coffee table review

So I've just finished two fantastic books the other night, one is a historical color and texture exploration and the other is an in depth discovery of ones experiences of bringing craft into modern design. Both books have one thing in common, they both describe a love affair between handmade traditions and modern concept making.

Crafting A Modern World is the story of Antonin and Noemi Raymond and their love affair of design manipulation in turn... the creation of Mid-century modern design in the 1930's. The Raymond duo combined their modern European stylings with traditional craft methods from many divers regions such as Japan and India and bringing them to life in architecture and design.

The book Moderne is very similar in the fact that selected contemporary French designers took on traditional interior design in the 20's by using traditional techniques such as "Pochoir" (the hand application of color to a print buy using various cut stencils), age-old printmaking methods, and combining patterns, materials to give texture and rich colors, boosted the quality and aesthetic of the design. In turn these specific types of renderings became a modern and luxurious approach interior styling.

I really do enjoy reading and learning about the roots of design and by doing so, and comparing it to how design is being inturpreted today I can easily agree on the popular statement that "history repeats it's self" even in the creative world.